D top



May 18,1926; Y W. WITHINGTQN D-TOP Original Filed August 50, 1923 Sheets-Sheet -1 May 18 1926. 1,585,222

w. WITHINGTON D-TOP Ori inal Filed August 30, 1923 S eats-Sheet -2 IrwezvroR 4117-0 NEYS Patented May 13,1925.

UNITED srarss PATENT GFFECEQ WINTHROI WITHING'IQN, F JAGKSQE, MIGHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN FORK &

HOE coMraNY, or CLEVELAND,

91110, A CORPORATION OF QH'IQ.

1)- Tor Application, riled Augus 3, S l No- 66.0, 1 3- Renewed April 1 5, 1926.

This invention relates to that type of handles commonly known as D-tops suitable for various tools such as shovels, spades, forks and the like.

The main object of the invention is the production of a handle of this character, the body portion of which consists of sheet metal cut or stamped and pressed to, desired form thereby effecting an economy in the cost of production, and at the same time providing a handle that is comparatively light and yet of great strength and which readily conifer-ms itself; for assemblage. with wooden shanks orshafts of slightly varying size, due to the flexibility of the split tubularmetal shanlr A further advantage relates to the shape of the blank, and the handle termed therefrom whereby a split tubular shank is produced without undue straining or stretching V of the metal.

Other objects relate to the particular form of thehandle whereby thedesired strength and rigidity are obtained and to the means provided for preventing the wooden hand grip from rotating after the handle is sembled.

' In the drawingse- Figure 1 is a plan View of the blank from which the handle is formed.

Figure 2 illustrates the blank after the first operation has been performed upon it. Figure 3 illustrates'the blank after the second operation has been performed upon it. Figure; 4: is a section on line Figure 3. i

Figure?) illustrates the blank after the third operation has been performed upon. t Figure 6 is a bottom plan' View of Figure 5. e

Figure 7 illustrates-th blank after the f urth operation has. been pe f med upon it.

Figure 8 is ,a' bottom plan view of Figure 7 v p Figure 9 illustrates the completed handle. Figure 10 is a} section on line 10 10, Figure 9.

Figure 11 is a section on line 1' 1- 11 Figure 9. i

In order that the method of manufacture and the form and structure of the finished product may be thoroughly understood, the annexed drawings disclose the steps or operreslpectively.

ations carried. out in the production of the complete handle by i st ating th t of the. blank aft r e ch ,ope ationpand the t rm and structure of the compl t andle.

The blank as shown in Figure l, is very much in the form of a right angle cross and comprises what may be termed an elongated strip of sheet metal with integral fla ges, 2+- and r spe ti ly, extending from opposite sides of the strip at substantially its central portion and disposed at substantially right angles, to the axis of the strip l. Y

For the purpose of clearness of description, this elongated strip may be divided into three sections or partsfia cent al ec ubstant ally circula form, and constituting the base of the split tubular shank when the latter is formed,and two opposite ext nding arm 5 a 6* whi h e suhsequ n ly' ent s asv t constitute with the shank base, the, yoke of the h nd e The flanges and are adapted to form the split tubular shank of the handle nd preferably t ey are of ub antial y equal size and of substantially identical form and each adapted to be bent into, substantially semi-circularform SQ as o constitute one half of the split tubular shank for receiving the wooden'shaft.

For the purpose of facilitating the bending o thes fla ge nt the desir rm an permitt ng heir s el ng into suhs en ti l y' emtcyl ders Wi h t u due tretching or straining of the sheet metal, the opposite ongit d nal edges +7 and t he fl ng 2 ar pa ate rom th s ip -1-' by" lots 1' re es es 9 an 10: respe ti ely, a d he oppo ite on tudinal edges and 12m: of the flange 8 are separated from the strip l by slots or- .re 'e ees 13? l 11 of the r ce s xtend s bs ant ally pa allel it-1 the a o he trip -1 and m y be formed s show n he ni ial P??? duet on t he blank. by cu t ng out p rtion of themetal at thesepoints so as to leave the longitudinal edgespf the flanges and 7;. the strip ilr while the flanges are integrally connected tothe part that has been termedthe Shank base l, but are separated from the arms and .6. al

free tobebent with respeotto though normally they overlie portions of such arms.

The blank .so shaped as illustrated in Figlu'e 1, may be produced in any suitable way as by cutting the same from a strip of sheet metal.

The first operation performed upon this blank consists in perforating the blank or cutting out portions to form rivet openings -15, 1(i, -1T, '18--, 19 and -20-.

The openings or perforations 15 and -16 are formed in the opposite extremities of the arms 5- and --6- respectively, and preferably these arms taper slightly as they extend outwardly from the shank base 4: and are formed at their extremities with substantially circular shaped heads of slightly greater lateral diameter than the width of the respective arm where it joins the head, and at the same operation as the rivet openings are formed, these substantially circular heads 2l and -22- are formed with corrugations which are preferably in line with the axis of the strip --1- and extend diametrically of the openings -15-- and -l6 and upon both sides of said openings, and are formed by pressing in narrow sections of the body of the metal to form narrow projections or prongs 28- and 29 for a purpose to be hereinafter described. 7

The next operation consists in subjecting the blank of Figure 2 to suitable operating dies or other mechanism whereby it is pressed to the shape shown in Figures 3 and 4.

That is, the flanges -2 and 3 are bent downwardly at substantially right angles to the body of the strip 1- into substantial parallelism with each other while the shank base -l is shaped in substantially circular form and the walls of the flanges 2-- and 8 are slightly convexed near the shank base as illustrated at -23-.

At the same time, the arms --5 and 6 are inclined upwardly with respect to the shank base --4-- and the heads 21 and --22 are extended outwardly at an angle to the respective arms in a plane approximating the horizontal.

Tn bending the arms 5- and -6 upwardly. they are likewise laterally conyexed inwardly to conform somewhat with the downward bending of the flanges 2 and 3 so as to form a symmetrical continuous structure without abrupt bends of the metal.

The next operation consists in shaping the blank of Figures 3 and 4 into the form shown in Figures 5 and 6 in which the flanges 2 and 3 are each bent into substantially semi-circular form with their concarities facing each other to form a split tubular shank 24, the slots 9 and 10-, and 13- and 14- permitting this shaping of the tubular shank without undue stretching or straining any portions of the sheet metal.

The next operation as shown in Figures 7 and 8 consists in bending the concaved arms -25 and 26-- with their ends in a substantially vertical position and extending from the shank base t along arcuate lines with the heads ---21 and -22-- extending upwardly from respective arms in substantial parallelism and with the corrugations or prongs -2S and ----29 pro jecting in ardly.

In this operation, the sections of the split shank -2 l may be further pressed toward each other so as to substantially close the cylinder formed thereby as best shown in Figure 8.

The handle is completed by inserting the wooden hand grip -30 between the heads -21- and 22 and passing the rivet 31- through both heads and the hand grip as illustrated, and riveting or otherwise securing the same in place so as to draw the heads 2l and -222 toward each other and imbcd the corrugations or prongs -28- and 29- in the wooden hand grip so as to lock the latter from rotation with respect to the heads.

The handle may then be placed upon any suitable shaft by inserting the latter in the split tubular shank 2etand passing rivets through the alined openings -17- and 9- and the shaft, and through the alined openings -18- and 20- and the shaft, and securing the rivets in place.

The structure so produced is of great strength and efliciency and readily adapts itself to connnercial production and assemblage with the parts designed for association with it and can be produced in an economic and comparatirely inexpensive manner and at a low cost.

The lines of the structure as produced, are symmetrical and avoid sharp bends and undue stretching of the metal and the inward convexity of the arms -5 and 6 effects the desired strength without exposing the hands of the operator to sharp corners while adding to the ease with which the tubular tapered shank may be formed as illustrated in a symmetrical manner.

Although I have shown and described an exact form of blank and structure, I do not desire to limit myself to the exact form or structure of the blank or to the details of the structure of the handle, as Various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the claims hereto appended.

I claim 1. A D-top formed of a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a substantially U- shape yoke formed of a single thickness of sheet metal, the intermediate portion of the yoke being substantially U-shape and convex in lateral cross-section throughout with its convexity projecting inwardly and forming at the center of the yoke a substantially fiat shank base with opposite lateral edges extending downwardly from the shank base, and a pair of substantially semi-cylindrical flanges extending downwardly from the respective edges at opposite sides of the shank base and integrally connected to the respec tive edges throughout their central portions, and separated at opposite end portions from respective edges of the shank base by recesses of substantial width and having arcuate inner edges whereby the integral connection of the semi-cylindrical flanges to the opposite edges of the shank base may be retained throughout the greater portion of the width of said flanges and the flanges may be shaped to semi-cylindrical form without materially weakening the connec-- tion.

2. A D-top of the type referred to formed of a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a shank base and arms formed of a single thickness of sheet-metal extending outwardly and upwardly therefrom, comprising a portion channel-shaped in lateral crosssection, a hand-grip disposed between the upper ends of said arms, and a pair of substantially semi-cylindrical flanges extending downwardly from the shank base and integrally connected to the shank base throughout their central portions and separated at their opposite edges from the shank base by slots having arcuate inner edges whereby the integral connection of the cylindrical flanges to the shank base may be retained throughout the greater portion of the width of said flanges, and they may be shaped to semi-cylindrical form without materially weakening the connection.

3. A D-top formed of a single piece of sheet metal and comprising a substantially U-shaped strip with a substantially semicylindrical flange extending" downwardly from each side of the intermediate portion of the U-shaped strip to embrace the end of a tool handle therebetween, each of the flanges being integrally joined at its middle to a side of the said intermediate portion and separated therefrom in more laterally disposed portions by recesses of substantial width having curved inner edges, whereby the integral connection of the semi-cylindrical flanges to the opposite edges of the said intermediate portion may be retained throughout the middle portion of the width of said flanges and the flanges shaped to semi-cylindrical form without materially weakening the connection.

4. A D-top formed of a single piece of sheet metal, comprising a substantially U- shaped strip and laterally disposed downwardly depending channel shaped flanges, each integrally joined to a side of the said intermediate portion in a portion of its width but separated therefrom in another portion thereof disposed towards a side edge of the flange by a slot having curved inner edges, whereby the integral connection of the downwardly depending channel shaped. flanges to the U-shaped strip may be retained throughout the non-slotted portion of the width of the flanges, while permitting the flange to be formed to channel shape, without materially weakening the connection.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 22nd day of August 1923.

' WINTHROP WITHINGTON. 

